Cabinets for a stack of computer devices are well-known in the computer accessory industry. Conventional cabinets are generally rectangular structures with an internal region that contains a rack for storing and supporting multiple computers. Typically, the rack has a multitude of slots that receive and support the computers or servers in a vertical arrangement. The majority of existing cabinets include at least one door that provides access to the interior of the cabinet, including the rack and the computers.
Existing cabinets suffer from a number of problems including the excessive build-up or accumulation of heat that is generated during operation of the computers. Since heat rises, an inordinate amount of heat is found at an upper portion of the cabinet during operation of the computers, while a lesser amount of heat is found at a lower portion of the cabinet. As a result, there is a temperature gradient within the cabinet, from the upper portion to the lower portion of the cabinet. In most cabinets, there is a temperature gradient along the face or front portion of the rack and the rear portion of the rack. It is well-recognized that heat is a major contributing factor to the failure of the computer components within the cabinet. Because a greater amount of heat is found at the upper portion of the cabinet, the computers positioned in the upper portion of the rack experience a greater failure rate than those positioned in the lower portion of the rack. Although computers in the upper portion of the cabinet tend to fail at a higher rate, the computers in the lower portion of the cabinet can fail, especially when a large amount of heat is present. To address these and other problems, a number of conventional cabinets include a cooling device intended to reduce the amount of heat that accumulates in the cabinet. However, the cooling devices of these cabinets do not provide a uniform flow of cooling air throughout the cabinet, thereby reducing the effectiveness of the device. In addition, these cooling devices create number of installation problems due to large dimensions and bulky configurations.
A conventional cabinet having a cooling device is marketed by the Liebert Corporation of Columbus, Ohio under the AirFlow Enhancer trade name. This cooling device is a large, external device that mounts to the outer surface of the rear door of the cabinet. Also, the device includes a number of fans that are designed to draw air through the front door of the cabinet, the rack and computers, and the rear door. Due its arrangement of fans, this device cannot provide cool air to specific locations within the cabinet and, as a result, does not address the temperature gradient explained above. In addition, this device has large dimensions which can negatively affect the positioning of the host cabinet and nearby cabinets. Another cabinet and cooling device marketed by Liebert Corp. and marketed under the RackCooler trade name suffers from similar problems. This cooling device is an external device with multiple fans that mounts to the rear door of the cabinet. Unlike the previous device, the RackCooler is a complex device that includes a cooling coil with a hose for attachment to a cooling unit. In addition to the limitations presented above, this device is costly and requires additional connections to the cooling unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,186,890 discloses a computer cabinet with an opening in a lower region of the cabinet and a vent in the top wall of the cabinet. Similarly, U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,557,357; 6,412,292; and, 6,574,970 each disclose a computer cabinet with an inlet opening in the bottom wall of the cabinet and a vent in the top wall of the cabinet. Collectively, these computer cabinets cannot uniformly distribute cool air within the cabinet to address the temperature gradient and, as a result, are not effective at addressing the issues identified above.
Therefore, there is a definite need for a cabinet with an air distribution device that precisely and selectively delivers cool ambient air to the computers within the rack to address the temperature gradient. In addition, there is a need for an affordable cabinet with an internal air distribution device that does not increase the footprint or exterior configuration of the cabinet.
The present invention is provided to solve these and other problems.